What is Sachin Pilot up to?

New Delhi: A late-night warning to former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot to desist from undertaking a fast against his own government by the Congress leadership indicates that the young leader is on his way out.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Rajasthan affairs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa maintained that the day-long fast on Tuesday is against the interests of the party and could be dubbed as an anti-party activity.

A defiant and restless Pilot has launched an onslaught on his own Congress government for not taking any action against those involved in corrupt practices in the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime.

Pilot has cleverly targeted both his bete noire and chief minister Ashok Gehlot and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje who apparently was the reason for his failed coup in July 2020.

Raje had disassociated with Pilot's action to revolt against Gehlot and rejected any support to his move to bring down the Congress government.

The young leader claimed that both Gehlot and Raje were hand in glove and had each other's back.

It seems Pilot has realised that the Congress leadership was unlikely to replace Gehlot at this juncture when assembly elections are just a few months away. At the same time, he hasn't been given the reins of the Rajasthan Congress too, thus pushing him to the wall.

The attack is not indicative of his frustration alone. He appears to have made up his mind to quit Congress. The option of joining the BJP too is closed with Raje still calling the shots.

Hence, there is a possibility of him either launching his own outfit or joining the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Is Sachin Pilot joining AAP?

It is said that the AAP had approached Pilot some time ago but the former Rajasthan Congress chief then declined the offer, hoping that he might eventually succeed in dethroning Gehlot.

The AAP meanwhile was trying to woo Jat leader and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal. A video of Beniwal's excellent camaraderie with AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has set off tongues wagging in the desert state.

Even if Pilot doesn't join the AAP and goes on to form his own party, he can have an understanding with these two parties in the assembly elections, due in November-December this year.

The direct or indirect alliance of Pilot, Beniwal and the AAP will be a formidable one and give a tough fight to both the Congress and the BJP on many seats. The Jat-Gujjar combination along with the AAP could change the electoral dynamics of the state and force the two national parties to change their poll strategy.

Beniwal had earlier asked Pilot and BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena to leave their respective parties and join the RLP as they together will form the next government in the state.

For many decades now, Rajasthan has been a cyclic state with power alternating between Congress and the BJP.

It remains to be seen if the trio of Pilot, Beniwal and Kejriwal are able to change that cycle.